Immigration

Immigrating to British Columbia

Seaspan welcomes applicants from all over the world who can offer the skills and talent we need. British Columbia is a thriving and evolving part of the Pacific Rim community, and each year about 40,000 newcomers immigrate here to make a home for their families. In this spirit, we make sure we attract and retain the best people from home and from abroad through our commitment to quality, our high standards in employment practices, and our diverse and progressive corporate culture.

Read on to learn more about living and working in Canada, and to find out how Seaspan can help qualified workers come to British Columbia to join our team.

Life in Canada

More about Canada

British Columbia, the home of Seaspan, is the westernmost province of a very large nation. Canada is the second-largest country in the world, at almost 10 million square kilometres. It takes seven days to drive from one end to the other, and along the way you would pass through six different time zones and meet all types of people, each with unique regional ways of living.

But what unites us all as Canadians is inclusiveness, fairness, and pride in the rights and freedoms we enjoy as residents and citizens. Canada is a multicultural society, in which everyone is free to maintain their culture and practice their religion, and is expected to accept those of others. We are a democracy, with regular federal, provincial and municipal elections, and we maintain strong social support for education, healthcare, transit, libraries, disability access, senior living, and other important infrastructures.

Canada is a northern country, and we have a reputation for cold weather. While much of the country does experience long winters, most of our population lives in the southern areas, where each season brings its own enjoyments and the spring and summers balance the chill of winters. And here, on the southern West Coast, we have the mildest climate in Canada. Some winters we see almost no snow, except where we want it—on the ski hill.

Immigration to British Columbia

Resources for BC Immigrants

British Columbia is a dynamic and multicultural region, where people from all parts of the world can celebrate their traditions while they come together to make something new. On the streets of Vancouver and Victoria, you can hear every language and taste every food; throughout the year you can attend celebrations for Diwali, Eid, Nowruz, Christmas, Hannukah, Asian Heritage Month, the Aboriginal Art & Culture Festival, Greek and Caribbean Days, TaiwanFest, Robbie Burns Day, the Scandinavian and Francophone festivals, and so many more.

Just over 4 million people live in B.C., with the majority concentrated in the urban centre of Metro Vancouver and the capital city of Victoria. About 40,000 new people immigrate to our province each year, and there are many agencies and support systems to help newcomers in the transition. It can be challenging at first to find your way in a new city and to adjust to unfamiliar systems of money, banking, transit, taxes, insurance, driving, and so on, so these resources can be very useful in helping you find your feet.

The Immigration Process

Our provincial government and services

There are several ways to become a resident of Canada. Forms of immigration include visiting on a temporary work or student visa, applying through a federal skilled worker program (see the next section for information on how Seaspan can help with this method), investing in or launching a business, having your immigration sponsored by a spouse or family member, or applying from outside Canada to become a permanent resident.

Immigration to Canada usually involves certain fees and medical checks. The process can take some time, so Citizenship and Immigration Canada allows you to check the status of your application online.

To obtain your Canadian residency, you will be required to live in Canada for at least two of every five years. Official residents of Canada are eligible for all the rights and responsibilities afforded Canadian citizens, except for the rights to vote, run for political office, hold a Canadian passport, or join our armed forces. Once you have been a resident of Canada for at least four years, you may be eligible to apply for citizenship, which will endow you with all of these rights.

How Seaspan Can Help

Through the Provincial Nominee Program, we can help people who have the skills we need immigrate to British Columbia. A shipbuilding operation of our scope requires hundreds of skilled people in many different fields. If we cannot find these skills in Canada, this government program allows us to nominate certain skilled workers from other parts of the world, and potentially speed and simplify the process of becoming a resident.

In some cases, we may also be able to assist you with your relocation and help you set up your new home here in B.C. Visit WelcomeBC to learn more about the Provincial Nominee Program, or search our current job openings to see if your training and experience matches a role we need to fill.